Centralia Pennsylvania

Above - Closer zoom of south side of town.  Note the main road exiting town, curving to the left.  That is the closed section of Rt. 61 and the smaller road branching off to the right and down center the image is the bypass built to avoid the damaged section of Rt. 61.

Above - This is the south side of the closed section of Rt. 61.  the smaller road branching off to the right is the bypass built to avoid the damaged section of Rt. 61.

The above image is highlighted to point out the visible hot spots that burn close to the surface.  Often the smoke and steam is quite visible.  The ground is typically hot and all vegetation is dead.  These areas are prone to subsidence, noxious fumes and high levels of carbon monoxide.  The area at the top of the photo is the most visible.  The fire burning below has recently encroached into the cemeteries.  The area in the lower half of the image is a hillside along the old section of Rt. 61 where the fire has burned enough coal to cause subsidence that damaged the roadway.  A large crack has opened up in the roadway, which bellows smoke and steam continually.

The image above is a hot spot that was warm enough in recent years to note its location.  Its current status is unknown.  These areas are not the only locations of hot or warm spots.  The entire town at some point in the past has been effected by the fire.  In many locations throughout town there are vent pipes that had been drilled down and installed to vent the fumes in a "controlled" way, some older and some more recent.  Some of the vents are still are still releasing fumes.  The areas noted in the images are noted only because they are the most obvious.

Below is where the fire apparently started back in 1962.